The Wind – USA, 2018

The Wind is a 2018 American horror Western feature film directed by Emma Tammi from a screenplay written by Teresa Sutherland. The movie stars Caitlin Gerard, Julia Goldani Telles, Ashley Zukerman, Miles Anderson and Dylan McTee.

Plot:

An unseen evil haunts the homestead in this chilling, folkloric tale of madness, paranoia, and otherworldly terror. Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) is a tough, resourceful frontierswoman settling a remote stretch of land on the 19th-century American frontier.

Isolated from civilisation in a desolate wilderness where the wind never stops howling, she begins to sense a sinister presence that seems to be borne of the land itself, an overwhelming dread that her husband (Ashley Zukerman) dismisses as superstition.

When a newlywed couple arrives on a nearby homestead, their presence amplifies Lizzy’s fears, setting into motion a shocking chain of events…

Release:

The Wind is released by IFC Midnight in theaters and on VOD on April 5, 2019.

Reviews:

“What becomes increasingly evident is the retelling of Emma’s psychosis is paralleling Lizzy’s own spiral into darkness. It’s then that the movie that began as a calamitous tale of not being built for farm life transforms into a creepy, supernatural story that suggests perhaps there was more to their breakdown than just natural hardships.” Sarah Gopaul, Digital Journal

“A more linear approach to the plot would have given room to watch Lizzy slowly go mad, thus providing the slow burn that the film so desperately wants, as well as a longer pay off, as the entire last act would be the scenes filled with the scares. If you want a good, slow burn, watch The Witch (which this film clearly adores).” Christopher Cross, Goomba Stomp

“It acts as a humbling look at the lifestyle and dangers of pioneer life in the prairies, and the fears that ran wild in such an unrestrained environment. The non-linear storytelling can be a bit clunky at times, but it’s a necessary function in revealing the full story […] a quiet, twisting, thrilling horror-western that settles under your skin and prickles your senses.” Kelly McNeely, iHorror

“The lack of anything other than fields and Lizzie for the majority of the film make the appearance of anything at all … kind of scarier than it ought to be. Overall,The Wind delivers a subtle, paranormal fright – in a place that doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement. And, I’m pretty sure that was the point.” Kimberley Elizabeth, Nightmare on Film Street

“The Wind is a confident, thoughtful, yet creeping and powerful film, with well-earned jump scares and demons both real and possibly imaginary, enough to make you afraid of the dark and the emptiness of even the most beautiful places.” Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Screen Anarchy

“Using excellent sound design and a score based around period instruments The Wind builds tension with a minimum of dialogue. This is in part by necessity since Lizzy is alone for a good part of the film. Even when there are multiple characters on screen the dialogue can be quite sparse though. Much more is conveyed with looks and expressions than with words at many points in the film.” Jim Morazzini, Voices from the Balcony

Cast and characters:

Caitlin Gerard … Lizzy Macklin

Julia Goldani Telles … Emma Harper

Ashley Zukerman … Isaac Macklin

Miles Anderson … The Reverend

Dylan McTee … Gideon Harper

Martin C Patterson … Eli

Production companies:

Soapbox Films

Divide/Conquer

Mind Hive Films

Technical credits:

86 minutes

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